Easy Rice Pilaf:
Fluffy, flavorful, and fabulous, this easy rice pilaf recipe makes a great side dish all year long. The perfect side for any protein, and a regular in your dinner rotation.
The rice is perfectly cooked and fluffy, the flavors simple and wonderful. This is the kind of side that tastes amazing but really lets the main shine. It is far better than the boxed version, but just as easy to make.
Pair it with your favorite protein like Smoked Pork Butt and serve with chocolate cupcakes and peanut butter frosting for dessert.
I grew up eating rice pilaf at my grandparent’s house, but it was always the kind that came in one of those boxes with the seasoning packets, and it wasn’t until I was an adult and taking cooking classes online that I realized rice pilaf is a method for cooking rice.
And the perfect side for all kinds of meals like this braised beef or shrimp boil. And that the actual recipe can, and often does, change with the cook, but the idea remains the same.
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What is the rice pilaf method?
The rice pilaf method is a method for cooking rice that involves using aromatics (garlic and onion), and some oil, and specific steps for cooking the rice to get a fluffy, tasty rice.
Essentially, professional chefs cook rice in different ways to achieve different results. Which is why you can get things like risotto which is rice that is high in starch, and creaminess, that is rich and saucy. But a pilaf is not creamy, it is textured, fluffy rice, with distinctive pieces.
What rice to use?
The pilaf method should be used when cooking with long grain rice.
- Start by first cooking garlic and onion in oil. Garlic and onion are your aromatics. They add flavor.
- Then you add your rice to the pan and stir it so each grain is coated with the oil and is shiny. This is called pearling, and is part of what helps the rice stay separate once it is cooked. This gives you a nice flavor to as you toast the rice. But in this recipe, we do that to the orzo, and just pour the rice in. So easy!
- Add texture: In this recipe we add some orzo in to give a difference in size and texture.
- Fluff with a fork: Once the rice is cooked in the liquid of your choice, you have to uncover it and fluff it with a fork to allow the steam to escape. This is a critical step because if you don’t do this, the steam will continue to cook the rice, and you will end up with mushy, overcooked rice as a result.
Tip: Keep in mind, if you won’t be eating the rice pilaf right away and you need to keep it warm, replace the cover after most of the steam is gone.
What is the best rice to use for rice pilaf?
The best rice for rice pilaf is a long grain rice.
I love using a white long grain rice such as jasmine or basmati. But you can choose.
Sometimes people will mix in colorful rice, such as wild rice to add some dimension.
However, because I like to use this rice pilaf recipe as a side dish, and not the star attraction, I like to keep things simple, and stick with a basic rice.
How do you make rice pilaf?
Every recipe for rice pilaf is different, with different additions from shallots and garlic, to carrots, and celery. But one thing remains the same, the basic method is as follows:
- Heat oil in a skillet
- Add onions and other aromatics, like garlic
- Add rice
- Add liquid
- Cover and let cook
- Rest the rice
- Fluff the rice
- Add anything else you want
- Eat the rice pilaf!
For this recipe we add some orzo pasta, which looks like a very large grain of rice, and is toasted to a golden brown to add some color and dimension to this side dish, as well as a fun texture.
How do you make rice pilaf in the oven?
This recipe can be made in the oven, however, I find it is so easy to make stove top, why bother? But if you want to make it in the oven, then what you will do is:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Follow recipe directions through step 4, where you have your rice and aromatics in a pan.
- Then add your liquid and transfer to an oven safe cooking dish. Cover with foil.
- Cook in the oven for about 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, fluff with a fork, and continue with step 7 in the recipe card.
Serve Rice Pilaf with:
- Lemon Butter salmon and Asparagus Foil Packs
- Skillet Honey Mustard Chicken
- Healthy Lemon Skillet Chicken
- Salmon with Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce (Keto)
- Honey Dijon Chicken Cobb Salad
Or Try this Wild Rice Pilaf for a fun change to rice pilaf.
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Easy Rice Pilaf
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1/2 cup Orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup Onion diced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/2 cup White long grain rice uncooked
- 2 cups Chicken broth
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Dried Parsley
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese Grated
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter *Note, you need a lid for the skillet for later
- Add orzo pasta to butter, and cook and stir orzo until golden brown.
- Once orzo pasta is golden, stir in onion and cook until onion becomes translucent.
- Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add in the rice, and stir to coat with oil. Add chicken broth, salt, and parsley. Stir well, then increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover skillet with lid, and simmer until the rice is tender, and the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes
- Stir in parmesan, then fluff with a fork.
- Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Pick a main to go with your rice pilaf
- Baked Breaded Chicken
Crispy oven chicken, a reader favorite - Lemon Butter Chicken
Bright, buttery sauce that soaks into the rice - Honey Dijon Salmon
An easy fish night - Cajun Salmon and Shrimp
Spicy, with the pilaf to balance it - French Onion Beef Tips
Tender beef and rich gravy to spoon over the rice
Pin to your sides board:
Debi says
This was delicious! I added a few more herbs, will definitely make again! Thanks so much
zidane says
Pilaf rice is light fluffy and full of comforting flavor
Sandra says
I make meals for a free “soup kitchen” kind of dinner, and today the person planning the meal was just planning on rice. The main dish was a delicious recipe of chicken tenders with Miracle Whip and parmesan, but no actual sauce, so i decided to try this recipe, billed as “easy rice pilaf.” Indeed, even for 70 servings, it’s easy: chopping the onions and garlic is the only labor intensive part of the process. I used the calculations for 34 servings (x2) and added about half a tablespoon of turmeric to give it that lovely yellow-orange color (but not put too much turmeric taste in it), and it’s *perfect*! This reminds me of Rice-A-Roni, which I ate all the time growing up, but with no additives at all.
Joanne says
live it and is so easy
Joanne says
delicious
Deanna says
I love this recipe. I always have the ingredients on hand, it’s simple and delicious.
Joanne says
simple and easy
Kathy says
Wonderful Rice! Love it!
If you double the recipe, how long would I cook it?
Sandra says
You probably figured this out already, but if you’re cooking on the stove, you’d cook it the same length of time. BUT — that said — when it says to cook for 25 minutes, that’s *after* it comes to a boil. More liquid takes longer to come to a boil, but then it sitll cooks for 20-25 minutes.
I’m not sure about making it in the oven; I did it on the stovetop, which I think is easier for something like this. And it turned out great!
Briana from Texas says
This is my go-to recipe for rice pilaf. My husband and son love it. They told me to never lose this recipe. The only thing I do differently is that I leave out the grated parmesan – just a personal preference.
Jeremy says
The other night, I had to come up with a side dish for dinner at the last minute and found this recipe. Even though I didn’t have all of the ingredients and fudged the first step, I was surprised how well it turned out. I had to use jasmine rice and was missing the Parmesan cheese and parsley, and in my haste, I misread the directions and browned the orzo and rice together before adding the onion and garlic, but it still tasted amazing and the texture was perfect. It may have been the best rice pilaf I’ve ever had. I’m not sure how the Parmesan cheese could make it taste any better, but I’ll find out the next time I make it. I might also try adding mushrooms. Thanks for posting this recipe!